Man threatened ex-flatmate with knife, Dubai court hears

Woman tells court she evicted him after she caught him taking drugs in their flat

A man threatened his flatmate with a knife after she evicted him for taking drugs at their shared apartment, Dubai Criminal Court heard.

The Vietnamese woman, 28, caught her countryman, 45, taking the drugs in their Al Muraqqabat flat in June.

She told prosecutors that she kicked him out, fearing she would get in trouble with police.

She said that, a few days later, the man showed up to the flat, grabbed a knife from the kitchen and held it to her neck, threatening to kill her.

“He threatened to slit my throat if I didn’t pay him Dh2,000 at once,” said the woman, who works as a hairdresser. She then screamed for help.

Two of her neighbours heard her cries and barged into the flat before wrestling the knife from the attacker's hand, restraining him and calling police.
During police questioning, the defendant denied the woman's version of events saying he did not take any drugs and accusing the woman of fabricating the story because she owed him money.

One of the neighbours, who witnessed the incident, agreed with the defendant, saying: "I asked the woman why would the man attack her, she told me because he borrowed money from him and she didn't repay him".
The defendant was not charged with a crime in court on Tuesday because a translator was not available. The court ordered prosecutors to arrange for one and scheduled the next hearing for October 7.